The invention relates to a module for an electrical switchgear apparatus, comprising a vacuum cartridge and means for fixing the cartridge to a support frame. It also relates to a switchgear apparatus comprising at least one such module.
Conventionally, a vacuum cartridge comprises a body forming a tight enclosure and housing a pair of separable contacts. with at least one movable contact. The movable contact is securedly affixed to a metal rod movable in translation parallel to its axis and protruding out from a first axial end of the cartridge. Tightness is achieved between the rod and a wall of the enclosure by means of a sealing bellows allowing translation movement of the rod. This rod is designed to be connected to a drive mechanism of the cartridge. The other contact is in general a stationary contact securedly affixed to a fixed rod passing through the body of the cartridge so as to be accessible from the outside at a second axial end of the cartridge, opposite the first end. The movable rod is guided in its axial movement with respect to the cartridge by means of a guide sleeve forming an integral part of the body of the cartridge and protruding towards the inside of the cartridge. Various embodiments of this architecture are illustrated in the documents DE 2,440,827, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,403,124, 4,933,518, 4,983,793, 5,004,877 and 5,168,139.
A three-phase electrical switchgear apparatus is described in the document EP 0,058,519, each phase of which apparatus comprises a vacuum cartridge of the previously mentioned kind supported by a rigid frame made of insulating material. On the side where the first axial end is situated, the body of the cartridge is fixed to the frame by means of a support plate provided with a bore at the diameter of the first axial end and forming a seat for the body of the cartridge. On the side where the second axial end is situated, the body of the cartridge is fixed to the frame by means of a fixing nut of the rod fixed to an electrical connecting strip securedly affixed to the frame. There is no interaction between the support plate and the rod.
A flexible electrical connection is fixed to the free end of the rod by hooping. When the apparatus is assembled, the hooping operation of the connection necessarily takes place after the cartridge has been fitted on the support plate, as the hooped connection is too bulky to pass through the bored hole of the support plate. Moreover, positioning of the cartridge on its frame has to be performed with precision in order not to force the movable contact rod out of its translation axis determined by the guide sleeve internal to the cartridge. These points prove to be disadvantageous for industrialization of the apparatus.
One object of the invention is to facilitate assembly of an electrical switchgear apparatus with a vacuum cartridge, and in particular assembly of the breaking module formed by the cartridge and its support frame.
For this purpose, the object of the invention is to provide a breaking module for an electrical switchgear apparatus, comprising:
at least one vacuum cartridge comprising a body forming an enclosure containing a pair of separable contacts, one of said contacts being securedly affixed to a movable metal rod, a part of the rod protruding out from the enclosure at a first axial end of the body of the cartridge;
a support frame of the cartridge;
a fixing and guiding collar comprising:
an aperture forming an axial guide sheath of the rod of the cartridge, performing guiding of the rod in translation with respect to the collar according to a geometric axis of the aperture;
radial positioning surfaces co-operating with the body of the cartridge and preventing any radial movement of the body of the cartridge with respect to the geometric axis of the aperture of the collar;
means for fixing to the support frame of the cartridge.
The collar enables both guiding of the rod with respect to the cartridge and fixing of the cartridge with respect to the frame. The chain of dimensions is thereby reduced, resulting in a greater guiding precision, achieved at low cost.
Advantageously, the frame is equipped with guiding slides and the collar is in the form of a slide-rack so as to slide in said guiding slides in a direction perpendicular to the geometric axis of the aperture. It is then possible to assemble the cartridge and its collar before inserting the assembly in the frame, by sliding the collar in the slides. According to one embodiment, the means for fixing comprise elastic clips forming a fixing means by clipping. This fixing mode by clips makes assembly particularly simple. The clips are preferably situated on the collar and co-operate with bearing surfaces situated on the frame.
Preferably, the collar is composed of two parts able to take an open position with respect to one another enabling radial insertion of the rod of the cartridge and a closed position wherein the radial positioning surfaces co-operate with the body of the cartridge and the aperture co-operates with the rod. This particularly advantageous arrangement enables fitting of the flexible conductor on the rod of the cartridge to be performed before the collar is fitted to fix the cartridge in its frame. According to a preferred embodiment, the two parts of the collar are articulated on one another by a hinge. The two parts of the collar in the closed position are secured to one another by fixing means. These arrangements make assembly easier.
Preferably, the collar is provided with axial positioning surfaces forming a seat for a section of axial end of the body of the cartridge. Positioning of the collar is thereby simplified.
According to one embodiment, the collar is made of plastic material, which may for example be a 6xe2x80x946 polyamide.
Preferably, the module comprises a single vacuum cartridge.
According to another feature of the invention, the object of the invention is also to achieve an electrical switchgear apparatus comprising at least one module as described in the above, and a drive mechanism of the rod of said module.